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1973 PBA Tour season

FieldValue
titlePBA Bowling Tour: 1973 Season
leagueProfessional Bowlers Association
sportTen-pin bowling
durationJanuary 2 – December 14, 1973
seasonPBA Tour
MVPDon McCune
seasonslistProfessional Bowlers Association Seasons
seasonslistnamesPBA Tour
prevseason_linkPBA Bowling Tour: 1972 Season
prevseason_year1972
nextseason_linkPBA Bowling Tour: 1974 Season
nextseason_year1974

This is a recap of the 1973 season for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. It was the tour's 15th season, and consisted of 33 events. Don McCune amassed six victories during the year, winning PBA Player of the Year honors along the way. McCune became known on tour this season for chemically softening his bowling balls to give them extra hooking power. The practice, which was completely legal at the time, was soon followed by several other bowlers in what would later be dubbed "The Year of the Soaker". This eventually led to new ABC and PBA rules related to altering bowling ball surfaces, while prompting bowling ball manufacturers to develop new, softer cover stocks.

Mike McGrath continued to come up big in big tournaments. His win in the BPAA U.S. Open gave him three majors among his first eight titles. McGrath would pick up his ninth and tenth titles later in the season.

Jim Godman became the first two-time winner in the Firestone Tournament of Champions, as he had also won the event in 1969. Earl Anthony captured his seventh PBA title and first major at the PBA National Championship.

Tournament schedule

EventBowling centerCityDatesWinner
**San Jose Open**Saratoga LanesSan Jose, CaliforniaJan 2–6Allie Clarke (3)
**Don Carter Classic**Bowling SquareArcadia, CaliforniaJan 9–13Gary Dickinson (1)
**Showboat Invitational**Showboat LanesLas Vegas, NevadaJan 17–20Barry Asher (7)
**Denver Open**Colorado BowlDenver, ColoradoJan 23–27Jay Robinson (1)
**King Louie Open**King Louie West LanesOverland Park, KansasJan 31 – Feb 3Bobby Knipple (1)
**Lincoln-Mercury Open**Pelican LanesNew Orleans, LouisianaFeb 6–10Carmen Salvino (10)
**Fair Lanes Open**Fair LanesTowson, MarylandFeb 13–17Dick Ritger (11)
**Winston-Salem Classic**Major League LanesWinston-Salem, North CarolinaFeb 20–24Don McCune (3)
**Miller High Life Open**Red Carpet LanesMilwaukee, WisconsinFeb 27 – Mar 3Don McCune (4)
**BPAA U.S. Open**Madison Square GardenNew York, New YorkMar 4–10Mike McGrath (8)
**Ebonite Open**Buckeye LanesToledo, OhioMar 13–17Dick Weber (24)
**STP Classic**Bird BowlMiami, FloridaMar 20–24Dick Ritger (12)
**Firestone Tournament of Champions**Riviera LanesAkron, OhioMar 27–31Jim Godman (8)
**Winston-Salem Open**Brunswick WonderbowlDowney, CaliforniaJun 1–5Don McCune (5)
**Home Box Office Open**Valley LanesPortland, OregonJun 9–13Dave Soutar (13)
**Seattle Open**Ballinger BowlSeattle, WashingtonJun 15–18Earl Anthony (6)
**Fresno Open**Cedar LanesFresno, CaliforniaJun 22–25Don McCune (6)
**Redwood City Open**Mel's BowlRedwood City, CaliforniaJun 29 – Jul 2Don McCune (7)
**Home Box Office Open**Cactus BowlTucson, ArizonaJul 6–10Barry Asher (8)
**Houston-Sertoma Open**Stadium BowlHouston, TexasJul 12–15Don Johnson (21)
**Fort Worth Open**Meadowbrook LanesFort Worth, TexasJul 19–23Gary Dickinson (2)
**Home Box Office Open**Penn BowlPennsville, New JerseyJul 27–31Mike McGrath (9)
**Starlanes-Ebonite Open**Cranston BowlCranston, Rhode IslandAug 3–7Paul Colwell (3)
**Bay City Open**Eastland LanesBay City, MichiganAug 10–13Don Johnson (22)
**Columbia 300 Open**Bertrand LanesWaukegan, IllinoisAug 16–20Marty Piraino (4)
**PBA National Championship**Hilander Bowling PalaceOklahoma City, OklahomaAug 26 – Sep 1Earl Anthony (7)
**Japan Gold Cup**Japan Starlanes CentersJapanSep 10–23Don McCune (8)
**Brunswick Eastern Open**Bayside LanesBayside, New YorkOct 19–23Matt Surina (2)
**Painesville Open**Painesville LanesPainesville, OhioOct 26–29Paul Colwell (4)
**Canada Dry Open**Hartfield LanesDetroit, MichiganNov 2–6Dick Ritger (13)
**Brut Open**Skylark BowlSt. Louis, MissouriNov 9–13Butch Gearhart (5)
**Brunswick World Open**Brunswick Northern BowlGlendale Heights, IllinoisNov 18–24Jim Godman (9)
**Winston-Salem Invitational**(Multiple Centers)Honolulu, HawaiiDec 4–14Mike McGrath (10)

References

References

  1. "PBA 60th Anniversary Most Memorable Moments". PBA.com.
  2. Levin, Dan. (17 September 1973). "SI Vault: Now He’s Throwing a Wet One, Too".
  3. "1973 Firestone Tournament of Champions". PBA.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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